Namakkal Anjaneyar Temple

Namakkal Anjaneyar temple is located in Namakkal, a town in Namakkal district in Tamil Nadu, India and is dedicated to the Hindu god Hanuman. It is constructed in the Dravidian style of architecture. The legend of the temple is associated with Narasimha, an avatar of Hindu god Vishnu appearing for Hanuman and Lakshmi. The image of Anjaneyar is 18 ft (5.5 m) tall, making it one of the tallest images of Hanuman in India. The Agamam is followed by "Sri Vaikhanasam". The temple is located in Namakkal, in the downhill of the Namakkal hill in Namakkal district in Tamil Nadu on the road from Namakkal to Salem. The temple has a flat gateway tower with a pillared hall leading to the santum. The sanctum houses the image of 18 ft (5.5 m) Anjaneyar axially facing the Narasimha shrine in the foothills, located 130 m (430 ft) away. The image of Anjaneyar is carved out of a single stone and believed to be existing from the 5th century. There is no roof over the sanctum and Anjaneyar has a unique iconography sporting a sword in his waist and holding a garland made of saligrama. The temple is considered one of the prominent temples in the Tamil Nadu state and the country. The temple priests perform the pooja (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis. The temple rituals are performed four times a day: Kalasandhi at 8:00 a.m., Uchikala poojai at 12:00 p.m., Sayarakshai at 6:00 p.m., and Arthajama Pooja at 8:45 p.m. Each ritual has three steps: alangaram (decoration), neivethanam (food offering) and deepa aradanai (waving of lamps) for the presiding deities. There are weekly, monthly and fortnightly rituals performed in the temple. The temple is open from 6:30 am – 1:00 pm and 4:30 - 9:00 pm on all days except during festive occasions when it has extended timings. The major festivals of the temple is the fifteen-day Panguni Uthiram festival celebrated during the Tamil month of Panguni (March - April) when the image of presiding deities are taken around the streets of the temple. In modern times, the Namakkal district administration has identified the temple as one of the prominent tourist attractions in the district. The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Endowment Board of the Government of Tamil Nadu